The Facebook install ads, introduced last fall, target consumers based on the apps and games they already access on their smartphones. Developers select their intended audience demographic, budget and method of payment, and Facebook inserts ads for their apps directly into targeted users' mobile news feeds. With the latest update, developers may also pinpoint specific segments within the iOS and Android userbases: "For example, now you can reach Jelly Bean 4.2 or iOS 5.0 and greater with a different message based on what is most relevant to the people using those devices," wrote Facebook Software Engineer Calvin Grunewald. "You can also target devices using a Wi-Fi connection. This is helpful if, for example, you are interested in connecting with iPad users that only have Wi-Fi access or prefer using Wi-Fi for data usage."

Facebook is also making it easier to design and purchase mobile app install ads via the new Ads Create Tool, which enables developers to manage large volume campaigns and offers access to all of Facebook's other ads products.

Grunewald added that developers across verticals like retail, e-commerce, gaming and financial services have successfully leveraged mobile app install ads to accelerate their app distribution. "Poshmark, a retail mobile app, has seen 3x better ROI from mobile app install ads compared to other paid channels," he stated. "Social Quantum, a Russian based international game developer, became the #5 grossing app in the U.S. within less than one month after running mobile app install ads as their primary method of acquiring new users. Nanigans, a preferred marketing developer, generated 92 percent ROI in less than two weeks for a mobile gaming client by bidding and optimizing for ROI."

Facebook now touts more than 1 billion users worldwide, with roughly 680 million accessing its platform via mobile.

Comments

Join 55,000+ Insiders

SIGN UP FOR OUR NEWSLETTER

FierceMobileIT provides tools, tips and case studies on how to deploy the latest wireless technologies in the enterprise. Join 55,000+ CIOs and senior IT managers who subscribe to our free daily email briefing. Sign up today!

THE LIBRARY: WEBINAR

Join Rob Westervelt, Research Manager within IDC's Security Products group, and Chris Webber, Security Strategist at Centrify, for this webinar where they will discuss the recent trends affecting how IT can address and manage cloud applications, mobile devices, and more. Sign Up to Watch Now!